Memories In the Rain
by Sakura Toeto
Summary: One Shot - Orihime lives a lonely life after the winter war. Everyone is pairing off around her and the only person she's remotely interested in hasn't the clue to who she really is. But one fateful encounter on a rainy night just may have to change that.


Orihime stood silently listening and watching as the rain poured down. Though the weather report said that Karakura-Cho would experience the first heat wave of the year today, May 19th, the day ended with a freezing rain.

Orihime sighed. She would love to be home right now, drinking hot tea and eating her homemade yakisoba while watching Tomoya and Nagisa's love story unfold. (Reference from Clannad) But instead she was standing under an awning in her spring/autumn uniform, outside of a shop in town.

"When will this pass...?" The words escaped her lips so softly, they were almost covered by the sound of the rain.

Earlier, Orihime had a meeting with the student council and the handicrafts club, so she had to stay at school until 7:00. It was a 30 minute walk to her apartment and only 10 minutes into her walk, the rain started down.

"Oh…I should've brought an umbrella…" Orihime sighed, full of regret.

Her head cleared away from the gloom when the sound of a bell pierced through the rain. Orihime let her gray-blue eyes move to the man leaving the store she was standing by. He turned the lights out as he left, so the store must've closed.

"Excuse me!" Orihime said.

The man looked at her and smiled. "Yes?"

"Do you know when the storm will pass?"

The man looked up at the sky before replying. "I could be mistaken, but it seems it's only gonna get worse. It might even be raining when we wake up tomorrow mornin'."

"Oh…" Her voice grew quiet again. "Well, thanks anyway."

"No problem. You take care now." The man smiled, before heading towards his car.

Orihime sighed. 'I don't want to stay all night, so I might as well go home.'

Stepping out in the rain sent shivers down her spine, but she had to bear with it. If she hurried, she'd be home in time to catch the end of Clannad. Orihime walked fast and tried to keep her mind of the cold. But, she did that too well, for she was getting sucked into her thoughts, which only slowed her down. But it wasn't a daydream. She was thinking of the future. Graduation day was nearing and she didn't know what to do. She and the group of friend she made since freshman year were all going to Tokyo University. Rukia, of course, was paying her way since her grades are so horrible. (Even Tite Kubo admitted it.) But, she'd be parting from her best friend, Tatsuki, who wasn't planning on going to college and just getting a job at the local dojo. And Ichigo and Rukia were also a problem. She didn't mind them much, but her former love, Ichigo, was now dating the raven-haired soul reaper and she couldn't stand their relationship in the least. She didn't like the thought of being alone while her friends experienced this feeling known as love.

Her thoughts were cut short when she felt the rain no longer. She could still her it, but no longer feel its cold bite. She looked up to see black fabric and metal stems. An umbrella?

The owner of the umbrella was none other than Ulquiorra Cifer.

"Oh! Ulquiorra! Thank you!" Orihime said.

"You have no need to thank me, Inoue." Ulquiorra said so softly that his voice was nearly drowned out by the rain.

Orihime paused at being called "Inoue". She didn't like the fact but it was permanently etched in her brain. Ulquiorra didn't remember the ditzy girl other than "just a classmate". It was the only way to resurrect him. In exchange for bringing Ulquiorra back, his memories of being a Hollow, being an espada, and everything in between was to be erased and he was to live a normal, human life in a gigai.

It wasn't a hard decision for Orihime because she had harbored forbidden feelings towards the former Arrancar at the time, but those feelings have been slowly ebbed away…At least, it was believed so.

"Of course, his memories can return IF something is strong enough to make him remember." Urahara had mentioned on the night of his resurrection.

Orihime had attempted to jog the espada's memories by talking about Aizen, Soul Reapers, and even Hollows within his earshot, but nothing appeared to work on him. She hadn't done that in moths, now that she thought about it. She had stopped trying within the first couple of weeks.

Her thoughts were once again disrupted, but this time, it was her fault. She sneezed.

Orihime blushed. "Oh…excuse me."

"It's nothing, Inoue." Ulquiorra swiftly responded. He peeled off his jacket and placed it carefully on the girl's shoulders. "You were walking in the rain in your uniform. It's that you could catch a col."

Orihime found herself at a loss of words for the powerless Arrancar. He was going to be cold, yet he still gave her his jacket. Orihime felt warmth arise to her cheeks.

Orihime looked away from Ulquiorra in hopes he didn't catch the sight of her reddened face. Even if he had, she could just reply it was red from the cold.

Though Ulquiorra's actions reminded her of when they were in Hueco Mundo. Memories of his secret kindness towards the girl flooded through her mind. He had occasionally given her food after light out, because what she had received during the day wasn't enough to sustain her. Sometimes he managed to give her something she enjoyed rather than the bland food served to numeros and below. He often stood up for her the many times Menoly and Loly attacked her and asked her for nothing in return, unlike Grimmjow would.

But occasionally he would ask her what the World of the Living was like. When she'd tell him about it, he'd listen to every word she would say, soaking up the information. One question she remembered clearly was: "What is this emotion you call 'love'?" Something she couldn't explain.

Orihime sighed. 'I haven't thought about that in a while…'

She looked at Ulquiorra, his eyes still cold. Orihime knew warmth was hidden behind those frozen, green eyes, because he had shown it the night he perished at Ichigo's hand.

Orihime clenched her fists in slight shock. She never realized it before. Ichigo KILLED Ulquiorra.

'NO…Don't jump to conclusions…' Orhime thought, in an attempt to soothe her anger. 'It had to be done! And it was mostly Hollow Ichigo's fault anyway. If he hadn't interfered, Ulquiorra probably wouldn't have died.

Feeling the sudden flame of anger die out, a flame only ignited when her friends were in danger or talked badly about, she realized something.

'I never stopped loving Ulquiorra…'

Still wrapped up in her thoughts, her foot caught on an uneven part of sidewalk as she began to fall. Orihime's eyes widened before closing tightly, ready for impact.

Nothing happened, aside from the fact that warmth was flooding through her.

Orihime slowly opened her eyes to see she was pressed against Ulquiorra's chest. He held her close.

"Inoue, are you unharmed?" Ulquiorra asked, worry barely appearing in his emerald eyes.

Orihime's face flushed red. "I-I'm okay! I'm really such a klutz, but you shouldn't worry! I'm used to tripping or bumping my head or getting hit by cars! Stuff like that!"

"If what you say is true…" Ulquiorra's voice trailed off, unsure how to finish that statement.

Feeling kind of uncomfortable, he released the girl. Orihime wished the moment lasted a bit longer. Orihime opened her mouth to thank him, but knew from personal experience that words of gratitude would never reach him. She closed her mouth quickly and they continued down their path.

Orihime held her arm close to her side. The only sound surrounding the two was the rain and their footsteps. Orihime had no clue what to say to the former espada, since the only thing they once shared in common was afterlife and Ulquiorra no longer remembered it. But even if he had remembered, he wasn't one to hold a conversation just to talk.

A thought struck her. 'Maybe…I could try and jog his memory again…'

She took a deep breath before wearing a bright smile. "OH! Ulquiorra! Have you seen the anime…uh…Afterlife!"

She flinched at the lame title, but stuck with it.

"I don't watch television that much." Ulquiorra said.

"Oh! But you should!" Orihime exclaimed.

She jumped in front of the raven haired boy, causing an abrupt halt.

"There's a new season on TV!" Orihime said, silently thanking Rukia for the acting lessons. "It's about a group of people who want to rescue…um…a princess from an evil…dragon, even if the king of the kingdom forbid them from rescuing her! My favourite character has to be…um…Espada!"

She nearly punched herself for being so stupid.

"He takes care of the princess! The guard appears to be cold and heartless, but he's really just kind and he does have a heart and he's quite cute, too…!"

Orihime gasped before covering her mouth and turning the colour of Renji's hair. At the moment, she was quite glad Ulquiorra couldn't remember the past.

No sound came from either of the two.

'Well, Ulquiorra never spoke unless it was necessary.' Orihime thought. 'Maybe he thinks I'm gonna speak…or maybe he thinks I'm too weird to speak to anymore!'

"I'm sorry!" Orihime said. "I kinda got carried away! I tend to do that often!"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "You should apologize for your acting, woman. Do you take me for a fool?"

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra after hearing his cold words.

"What…?"

"I know you heard me, but if I must, I will repeat myself. Do you take me for a fool?"" Ulquiorra asked.

"I don't understand…I'd never…take you for a fool." Orihime looked at him in confusion.

Ulquiorra touched Orihime's cheek softly as though he was unsure if she would approve.

"How could you possibly believe that I would forget such a beautiful face?"

Orihime blushed furiously. 'He…He remembers?'

Ulquiorra's last words repeated in her head while Orihime stood there speechless. She couldn't find what she could possibly say. And even if she could, her nerves would prevent them from escaping her lips.

She just stood there as Ulquiorra slid his fingers into her glossy, caramel-coloured hair, raising it to his lips and kissing it gently, before he let it fall to her shoulders.

Orihime allowed the blush to linger as she recalled Ulquiorra's black lips gracing her hair with its presence over and over again.

"Ulqui…orra?" She managed. She swallowed before regaining the ability to speak. "You finally remember?"

Ulquiorra wrapped his pale arms around her, his umbrella let down and the rain fell on them with its cold bit. Neither of them cared.

"I never forgot."


End file.
